Liquid conductor heater



C. 1935. M, W, HANK@ 2,S,671

LIQ'ID CONDUCTOR HEAHER Filed April le, 1931 2 sheets-sheet 1 Oct L 1935'. M, W, HANKS 2,015,671r

LIQUID CONDUCTOR HEATER lFiled April 16, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ill Il ||ll||l IIII Patented Oct. 1, 1935 UNITED STATES FTENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to liquid conductor heaters of the type in which a liquid conductor with in a container is arranged to establish an electrical connection between two electrodes con- 5 nected in a circuit so that the passage of current between the electrodes through the liquid heats the liquid and causes it to be heated or heated and vaporized. The present invention is an improvement upon the invention of Marshall W.

l Hanks and George H. Nelson, described and claimed in their copending application Serial No. 530,490, led April 16, 1931.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved liquid conductor heater in which a quantity of liquid, such as a solution of a medical compound, may be vaporized by the passage of an electric current therethrough, so that a medicated vapor is given oil which may be inhaled by the user for the treatment of afliictions of the nose or throat. A further important object of the invention is to provide a liquid conductor heater of the type referred to having improved means for permitting the starting and stopping of the apparatus. Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved liquid conductor heater which may be mounted in either of two positions, in one of which the liquid within the vessel of the apparatus establishes an electric circuit between the electrodes, while in the other position the liquid automatically assumes a position out of contact with the electrodes so that the circuit is thereby interrupted. Another object of the invention is to provide a liquid conductor heater of the type referred to having electrodes which are normally immersed in the liquid, but within a tube or chamber of restricted dimensions as compared with the area of the liquid-containing vessel, so that the heating and vaporization of the liquid takes place within a relatively small body of the total liquid contained within the vessel. The apparatus thus has the advantage that the vaporization may be started quickly and without causing a circulation of the heated liquid throughout the entire body of liquid in the vessel. Other objects relate to various features of construction and arrangement which will appear more fully hereinafter.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings, in which one embodiment is illustrated. In the drawings,

Fig. 1 shows a vertical longitudinal section through one form of apparatus embodying the present invention;

(Cl. 21S-40) Fig. 2 shows a horizontal section taken on the line 2 2! of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows a vertical section on the line 3 3 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is a partial longitudinal sectional view `5 similar to that of Fig. l, showing the apparatus standing on its end, in order to cause the liquid to pass cut of contact with the spaced electrodes.

As illustrated in the drawings, the invention comprises a vessel Ill having a nat bottom wall 10v Iiia adapted to rest upon a table or other support, a parallel top wall lb, an end wall |00, which extends at right angles to the bottom wall lila, and a curved end wall lud, the two end walls uniting the side walls Ille. The vessel I 0 may 15 preferably be formed of insulating material and it is adapted to contain a body of liquid I I which may be a liquid solution of a medical compound adapted to be vaporized for the treatment of nose, throat, or chest diseases or infections, for 20 example, although the vapor resulting from the operation of the apparatus may be used for any other desired purpose. The upper surface Ila of the liquid i I, when the vessel It is resting upon its lower wall Ia, is preferably somewhat below 25 the top wall ib which is provided adjacent the end wall Illd with an upwardly flaring mouth I 0f.

The electrodes between which the liquid II is adapted to establish a connection are preferably mounted a removable unit I2, comprising a tapered plug i3 having a cylindrical tube I4 extending dcwnwardly therefrom. The plug I3 and the tube ld may be molded of rubber or other suitable insulating material and they may be formed of the same or different materials, as de- The tube lll is preferably formed of material having thermal as well as electrical insulating qualities. rEhese members I3 and I4 have a common tubular passage i5 extending upwardly therethrough and preferably outwardly flared and be enlarged at its upper end as shown at i'f-a. Within this passage there are mounted the vertically extending spaced electrodes I6 which form the terminals of an electric circuit. These electrodes extend downwardly to a point 4.5 adjacent the open lower end of the tube I4 so that the liquid, which seeks its natural level within the tube, corresponding to the level of the liquid within the body of the vessel I rises upwardly around the electrodes and establishes an electric circuit between them so that if they are otherwise connected to a source of current supply, a current passes between them through the liquid and causes a portion of the liquid to vaporize with the result that the vapor rises upl which is formed as a part of the cap 2U.

wardly through that portion of the passage I5 which lies above the level of the liquid. The tapered plug I3 may directly engage the tapered wall of the mouth II) of the vessel, but an annular spacer I'I, formed of cork or other suitable insulating material, is preferably interposed between the mouth Iilf and the plug. The tube I4 may be attached tothe plug I3 but, if it is not so supported, it may be held in place, for example, by :frictional contact with the electrodes.

The electrodes I6, which are preferably in the form of ilat bars, have their upper ends bent outwardly as shown at IIia so that they occupy at recesses I3a which extend outwardly in opposite directions in the upper face of the plug I3 on opposite sides of the passage I5. The outer ends of the parts I6a of the electrodes are reverse- 1y bent as shown at |61 for the purpose of clamping in place and making electrical contact with the extremities I8n of a pair of electrical conductors I3 which lead from a source of current supply. These conductors, which are insulated, except at their extremities |821, occupy grooves |31 which are formed around the outer portions of the plug I3 and they are then carried downwardly through an opening I3d at the edge of the plug, as shown in Fig. 3. The outer edge of the upper portion of the plug is threaded and this threaded part is engaged by the correspondingly threaded portion of the down turned flange 20 This cap 20 is formed of insulating material and it has an upwardly tapered passage 2 I formed therein to communicate with the passage I5 so that the vapors created by the vaporization of the liquid are discharged from the passage 2| which opens in the center of the upwardly extending annular flange 201 formed on the cap member. The cap member is provided on its under side with a central annular projection 2|)c which engages the upper side of the plug I3 and holds the outturned arms |611 of the electrodes firmly in place. The undersurface of the cap 20, surrounding the central portion 20C, engages the iii-turned extremities |61 of the electrodes and maintains them in rrn contact with the extremities |82L of .the electrical conductors leading from the source of current supply.

With the apparatus assembled as above described, and with the electrical conductors I8 'connected to a source of electric current, the

tube I4 extends downwardly into the liquid II as shown in Fig. 1 and the current passes between the electrodes I6, thus vaporizing gradually that portion of liquid which occupies the tube I4 so that a vapor is given off from the mouth of the passage 2|. If desired, a vent hole 22 may be provided in the tube I4 above the normal level of the liquid I I so that if any excessive bubbling of the liquid occurs within the tube due to the boiling thereof, the liquid portion oi the bubbles may pass outwardly into the vessel I0 through the opening 22 instead of being carried upwardly by the vapor. As the liquid within the tube I4 is vaporized by the passage of the current, it is replenished from below by the inflow of a portion of the liquid constituting the body of liquid within the vessel I0 and thus the vaporization of the liquid may be continued indenitely, as long as there is a quantity of liquid remaining in the vessel Ill, sui'licient to establish a connection between som-e portion of the two electrodes I6. Due to the fact that the electrodes are enclosed within a thermal insulating tube of relatively small area, the vaporization of the liquid may be started very rapidly when the circuit is first established and the tube will prevent the heat generated by the passage of the curr-ent from being dissipated through the body of the liquid in the vessel. As the opening or openings 22 are relatively small, there is no circulation of the liquid through the tube into the Vessel and if the opening or openings 22 are not suiiicient to relieve the bubble formation in the upper part of the tube, such relief is furnished by the enlargement |511 of the passage which prevents the bubbles from passing outwardly through the opening 2| in the cap. When it is desired to discontinue the vaporization of the liquid, the user may merely turn the vessel Ill up on its end, so that it rests upon the end wall IUC, and this will result in the liquid II nowing out of the tube i4, which will then occupy a horizontal position as shown in Fig. 4. The surface of the liquid II will then occupy a plane Ilb where it is entirely out of contact with the tube I4 and out of contact with the electrode I6. In this way the circuit between the electrodes may be automatically discontinued when desired merely by the tilting of the vessel from one position to another, due to the fact that the tube I4 is located adjacent one end of the elongated vessel. W hen the operator wishes to renew the operation of the apparatus, the vessel may be restored to the position shown in Fig. 1 and the circuit will again be automatically established between the electrodes by the liquid rising within the tube I4. In order to prevent the accidental removal of the unit I2 from the vessel Il) when the vessel is being tilted from one position to another, the plugs I3 and spacer I I may be secured to the flaring mouth Illf of the vessel.

Although one form of the invention has been shown and described by way of illustration, it will be understood that it may be constructed in Various other embodiments within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination in a liquid conductor heater of a vessel adapted to contain a liquid conductor, said vessel having angularly disposed surfaces on either of which it is self-supporting when placed upon a support, and a pair of spaced electrodes mounted in the wall of said vessel and projecting into said vessel to make contact with the liquid therein when said vessel is resting upon one of said surfaces, said electrodes being out of contact with liquid when said vessel is resting upon the other of said surfaces.

2. combination in a liquid conductor heater of an elongated vessel adapted to contain a liquid conductor, an insulating tube extending downwardly into said vessel adjacent one end thereof, a pair of spaced electrodes extending vertically through said tube, said tube being provided with means for admitting liquid from said vessel to the interior thereof for establishing a connection between said electrodes, said vessel having a ilat surface at the end thereof removed from said tube whereby the tilting of said vessel onto said flat surface causes said liquid to flow out of contact with said electrodes.

3. The combination in a liquid conductor heater of an elongated vessel having a bottom wall upon which it normally rests, said vessel being adapted to contain a liquid conductor, a tube extending downwardly into said vessel adjacent one end thereof and having its lower end open to permit the access of said liquid to the interior thereof, a pair of spaced electrodes extending downwardly into said tube to a point adjacent the lower end thereof below the normal level of liquid therein, and an electric circuit in which said electrodes are connected, said vessel having a at surface at the end thereof opposite said tube whereby said Vessel may be tilted onto said fla-t surface to cause said liquid to flow out of Contact with said electrodes in said tube.

4. The combination in a liquid conductor heater, oi:` a vessel having a at horizontal surface upon which it normally rests and another angularly disposed flat surface upon which it may be supported when tilted, an insulating tube eX- tending into said vessel transversely tosaid flat horizontal surface, said tube having means for admitting liquid from said Vessel into the interior thereof and being located at a point removed from said second named at surface, and a pair of electrodes spaced apart and extending vertically through said tube to be connected by liquid passing into said tube from said vessel when it is in its normal horizontal position, said tube being constructed to permit the liquid to flow out of contact with said electrodes when said vessel is tilted onto said second-named flat surface.

5. The combination in a liquid conductor heater, of a vessel having a flat horizontal surface upon which it normally rests and another angularly disposed at surface upon which it is self-supporting when tilted from its normal position, an insulating plug mounted in the wall of said vessel, and a pair of spaced electrodes carried by said plug and extending into said vessel parallel to each other at a point removed from said second named flat surface, whereby said electrodes are connected by the liquid in said vessel when said vessel is resting upon said flat horizontal surface and are out of contact with said liquid when said vessel rests upon said angularly disposed at surface.

MARSHALL W. HANKS. 

